Chapter 3637 — Running an Errand for You!
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Lu Bianren was stationed at the rear cliff for the time being, and within thirty li in any direction there was not so much as a ghost to be seen. And while a public instruction day came every year, no fixed date had ever been set for it—it was left entirely to the will of the pavilion elders. In other words, if Hu Yunfeng and Feng Song did not send word to him, he would have no way of knowing that today was a public instruction day at all!
Not even knowing whether today was the day, and forbidden by daily rule from leaving his post without Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng's permission, it was only natural that he should fail to appear—and yet, through no fault of his own, he had thereby handed Zhao Hongbo a handle to berate him in public.
"Had I known, I should have sent Senior Brother Lu word yesterday!" his long-suffering senior brother could not help chiding himself inwardly.
It had never crossed his mind that Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng and his lot would go this far—that they would fail to inform Lu Bianren of something as important as the public instruction day. And yesterday, busy as he was helping Wei Zhao and the others out of their scrape, he had had no time to make a special trip to the rear cliff.
Still, had he known in advance that the elder sent from Azure Cloud Pavilion would be Zhao Hongbo, he would have gone to warn Lu Bianren no matter what, for this Fourth Elder was the sworn rival of the Azure Cloud patron backing both Lu Bianren and himself—once trouble broke out, it was only to be expected that Zhao Hongbo would train his sights on them.
Alas, how could a mere steward like him possibly learn of the elders' arrangements in advance?
At this point his long-suffering senior brother had only grasped that Lu Bianren had been played, but Wei Zhao's thoughts ran further than his. Wei Zhao had already guessed that the trap sprung on Lu Bianren was merely the opening move, and that he himself would certainly be dragged into it.
Sure enough, Zhao Hongbo's very next words laid his intent bare: "Since you are on good terms with Lu Bianren, then I will trouble you to make a trip and fetch him here, so that the elders of the other two pavilions do not get a free laugh at our Azure Cloud Pavilion's expense!"
Just as I thought! Wei Zhao sneered inwardly. Zhao Hongbo's words sounded perfectly reasonable, carrying not the slightest hint of targeting or making things difficult for him—but one had to remember that today was a public instruction day of rare preciousness. Miss it once, and one might never have another chance to make it up in this lifetime.
And Lu Bianren was now far away at the rear cliff, thirty li off. Even without a moment's delay on the road, a round trip would take at least the better part of an hour. By the time Wei Zhao brought Lu Bianren back, it was quite likely that every newcomer here would already have finished asking their questions and the answers would be over and done with.
Seeing Wei Zhao silent and brooding, Zhao Hongbo knit his brows slightly and said, "What? You are not even willing to run an errand and call Lu Bianren here? Is this the standard Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers have sunk to these days?"
At that, Meng Jueming cut in at just the right moment: "In reply to the Fourth Elder, this Wei Zhao is a newcomer from the secular world, headstrong and unruly, ignorant of the rules. The fault is mine, his steward senior brother's, for failing to discipline him. I beg the Fourth Elder to punish me!"
"So he is from the secular world. That explains it." Though Zhao Hongbo's face betrayed nothing, the displeasure in his words was plain for all to hear.